Universal TV Remote in Doubo: Control Roku, Samsung, LG and DLNA TVs

Doubo now includes a built-in universal TV remote. It finds TVs on your network and controls them — power, volume, channels, a number pad, a direction pad and text search — with nothing extra to install.

One remote for the TVs on your network

Lost the remote, or tired of juggling three of them? Doubo's universal TV remote turns your iPhone, iPad or Mac into a remote for the TVs already on your Wi-Fi. Open a channel, tap the remote icon in the player, and Doubo lists the TVs it finds. Pick one and you get power, volume up/down and mute, channel up/down, a number pad for direct channel entry, a direction pad with OK, Back, Home and Menu, playback controls, and a text field that types straight into the TV's search box.

Which TVs it controls

  • Roku and Roku TVs — over Roku's External Control Protocol (ECP). No pairing needed.
  • Samsung smart TVs (Tizen, 2016+) — over the WebSocket remote channel. The TV shows an "Allow" prompt the first time; after that it just works.
  • LG webOS TVs — over the SSAP protocol, with a one-time pairing prompt on the TV.
  • DLNA media renderers — play, pause, stop and volume over UPnP.

Doubo also discovers Chromecast / Google TV, AirPlay and Android TV devices on the network and lists them, so you can see everything in one place. Apple TV cannot be controlled by third-party apps, so it is shown for reference only.

How discovery works

A universal remote has to speak the same discovery languages that TVs use to announce themselves. Doubo runs two in parallel:

  • SSDP / UPnP (the multicast protocol behind DLNA) finds DLNA renderers, Roku, and many Samsung and LG sets.
  • Bonjour / mDNS finds Chromecast, AirPlay and Android TV devices, which advertise themselves over mDNS instead of SSDP.

Everything runs on your local network. Doubo sends commands straight to the TV; nothing is routed through a server, and no account is required.

How to use it

  1. Make sure your TV and your device are on the same Wi-Fi, and that the TV's remote / DLNA feature is on.
  2. Open any channel in Doubo and tap the remote icon in the player.
  3. Pick your TV from the list. The first time, approve the pairing prompt on the TV if it asks.
  4. Use the buttons: volume, channels, the number pad, the direction pad, or type into the search field.

FAQ

Do I need to install anything on the TV?

No. Doubo talks to the TV's own built-in remote service. For DLNA you only need the TV's renderer / DLNA option enabled.

Why can't I control my Apple TV?

Apple does not provide a public API for third-party remote control of Apple TV. Doubo lists it for reference but can't send it buttons. You can still cast to it from supported sources.

Nothing shows up in the list. What should I check?

Confirm the TV and your device are on the same network, allow Doubo access to the local network when iOS asks, and make sure the TV isn't in a deep sleep mode that disables its remote service.

Is it free?

The remote is part of Doubo. Doubo is a player you add your own playlists to; it doesn't bundle channels or collect personal data.